RIVERDALE, Ga. — A longtime city councilman says he was fed up with how things were going and suddenly turned in his resignation. The timing of the departure of Riverdale Councilman Kenny Ruffin will leave his seat vacant for months and could interrupt council meetings.
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Channel 2’s Tom Jones tracked down Ruffin after city officials told him Ruffin resigned, moved from his home and hadn’t been heard from since.
“You were just fed up?’ Jones asked when the two met up for an interview.
“Yes. Yes,” Ruffin replied.
The 23-year Riverdale councilman said he couldn’t take it anymore. “It’s a shame I was always going to be outvoted.”
So, he turned in his resignation without notice at the end of September.
“The biggest thing to me was that I didn’t see any good of what was going on.”
Ruffin says he was fed up after the council never passed a longtime economic development plan, they didn’t work to reduce property taxes and he didn’t like how the last city manager was fired. He says some councilmembers were trying to run the city, which isn’t their job.
But the timing of his resignation has caused issues for the city.
The city can’t replace Ruffin until next year, since his resignation came within a window where candidates couldn’t be added to the November 3rd election.
The president of Concerned Citizens 4 Riverdale says that’s a problem." So that means between now and March, what, almost 6 months, Ward 4 will have no representation," An’cel Davis said.
Also, if one council member misses a meeting with Ruffin gone, the charter says no meeting can be held since they wouldn’t have a quorum.
A work session was canceled recently.
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“The city cannot move forward other than things that are budgeted and already had been voted on and approved,” Davis pointed out.
Ruffin says he thought the council still had enough members for a quorum. And he thought the mayor could appoint someone to replace him.
He’s not rethinking his decision. “So, I wish them well. But like I said, I’m going to go see my grandkids.
Ruffin says he moved because of health issues.
As for his complaints about the council not working with him, one council member said if a council member brings something to her that makes sense to her and the people of Riverdale, she is going to do it.
An Election to fill Ruffin’s seat will take place in March.
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